Moluccan history and culture in pictures > From camps to wards
In the late 1950s, the government decided that the Moluccan community had to integrate more fully into Dutch society. A speedy return to the Moluccas was no longer expected.
Part of this new policy was moving the Moluccans from camps to new wards. The integration of Moluccans was to take place in groups. The wards were built within the villages and cities, thus allowing for more contact between Moluccans and the Dutch. Appingedam was the first Moluccan ward to be finished. Over sixty wards were to follow in the following years. Closing down the camps was not without problems, however, and took much longer than foreseen.